Mobile network Three give us a first look at the Asus Vivo Tab RT

Brendan Arndt from Three gives us a nice first look at their upcoming Asus Windows RT (Vivo Tab) tablet and it's looking good.

While many are wondering how WinRT tablets are going to sell in traditional markets, one thing is certain, the mobile industry is set to embrace these quickly. Unlike the Surface RT device, the slender Asus unit will come with built in support for connection to a mobile operator. The 10” device gets the once over in the following video. Make sure to read on past the break!

During the video much is made of the devices super thin form factor and its ability to create as well as consume content. With so much emphasis on pricing for this new generation of Windows 8 devices its clear we could see that price offset with the inclusion of a mobile contract. Many have expressed great interest in Surface but that doesn’t come with any built in mobile networking. The advantage other OEMs will have here is that of built in modems, the carriers are likely going to jump at the chance to sell these devices on a contract. After all, that's what contract were made for!

It’s a good hands on and we get a good look at how snappy the new touch friendly UI is on the tablet as well as seeing it in portrait mode. Brendan seems genuinely excited at the prospects of a device with the dual interface, helping bridge the gap between consumption and creation.

Unfortunately no mention is made on pricing and availability but we suspect this will follow shortly. Recent pricing leaks suggested a $599 price tag for the 32GB device, though no word if that will hold accurate for launch. They will even let you sign up for updates should you want to keep on top of this one.

Could this be a sign of how we’re most likely to see Windows RT tablets sold? Are the mobile operators going to help shift these with subsidies? We’d like to know your thoughts. Fancy one? Let us know… just sign on the dotted line bellow..

In the meantime, check out our hands on video with the AT&T version of the Asus Vivo Tab below:

Reader comments

Mobile network Three give us a first look at the Asus Vivo Tab RT

I would like to think I am going to be an early adopter of an RT device. But the more I see, the more I am really going to have to research to determine which device fits my needs...good to have choices, but I am stating too feel buried in options.

Only thing to stop me getting the Surface is price. if it comes in at $599 they have an instant market failure on their hands. The preorder page at Tiger Direct prices the Asus at $599, and I'm sorry, you are no Apple to be commanding those prices, premium experience or not.

I hope and expect all the networks will be selling them. This hopefully bodes well for wp8 as the more devices sporting metro UI people see when walking in shops, the more they will be aware of WP and that will be a very good thing imo. I do hope that price point is wrong tho...too expensive for RT tabs

Tablets with win rt cant do anything new that android or apple tablets can do...i mean run standard win programs :( i wanted a surface rt but now i dont...surface pro can, but it will be too expensive...so ill buy a laptop :)

I have a Samsung tablet (demo unit) home with Windows 8RT on it. Believe me, the Metro interface is way more powerful than Android or iPad. We have an iPad home but it's only collecting dust tight now :-)
You can't go wrong with a pure RT tablet I will get Surface RT for sure as quick as it gets available in stores here in Sweden.

So what do you do that requires a laptop? Just curious. I plan to by a W8 RT and Pro device. The RT device will be my play/consumption device. The Pro will my pro-sumer device - work/play; the latter when I need to take a break.

My only problem with the rt tablets is that you cant install regular windows exe programs...i love surface rt, i have a page on facebook for surface family, a great product for anyone who hadnt had a tablet before or want a more clear and modern ui. I want one for myself, but it will no do me any good, just for having it :)

hmmm...didn't know that the RT devices had the taskbar screen...I wonder if they'll be able to load a limited number of desktop applications after all. I don't know why else we'd need it on an RT tablet.

I wasn't knocking RT for its .exe incompatibilities, just clarifying the issue for drunken scholar.
I don't think it's an old school vs new school thing though. I don't foresee an "app" that replaces the functionality of Illustrator or VideoStudio.

I have a Microsoft store in my town so I want to check out surface for sure before I get anything. Planning on getting a surface rt for the wife(which I'll be using a bunch) and surface pro or a laptop with touch screen for me when pro comes out. Sooo close!

This guy is confused about what Charms are. The Charms are the controls you get when you swipe in from the right. The demoer implies that the Charms are all the gestures that bring up UI from any side of the tablet. So a message hasn't gotten through completely there.
Also, he says "the Desktop mode is still there". Well, if it's an RT tablet, it's just Office and IE in Desktop mode, not all your Windows apps. This is a challenge Microsoft faces in communication exactly what they are selling.